Engraving tool



Aug. 6, 1935. w. GRUMBACHER ENGRAVING TOOL Fild Jan. 12, 1953 IN VEN T0R WM firm W MM TTORNEV Patented Aug. 6, i935 PATENT OFFICE ENGRAVINGTOOL Walter Gruinbacher, New York, N. Y.

Application January 12,

4 Claims.

This invention relates in general to engraving tools and in particularto engraving tools for use in preparing printing plates made of linoleumor tendency of the tool similar material.

Tools of the character herein set forth are intended primarily forremoving from materials such as linoleum, portions of the flat topsurface, so that the remaining flat portions willform printing surfaces.

While the invention has been described in connection with its use forcutting linoleum or similar materials, it will be understood that as tocertain phases thereof, it is capable of other uses.

Among the defects of tools for this purpose,

such as hitherto constructed, has been found the to dig into thematerial, that is, to-cut, suddenly and unexpectedly, deeper than theengraver intends, due to the peculiar action of the surfaces edge of thetool and in contact with the material. It is a general object of myinvention to overcome such irregular action by the provision of suitablecutting and guiding-surfaces and such other means as will prevent suchaction and substitute therefor a smooth action under the'control of theuser. Among other objects are theprovision of an unusually sharp cuttingedge and the attainment of efliciency of operation in other ways, aswill be explained, the provision of a simple construction, the provisionof a tool which may be used interchangeably with other tools in a singlehandle and the provision of a construction for.such a tool by which lowcost of manufacture may be efi'ected.

I attain these objects by associating with the cutting edge of the toolsuitable guiding surfaces which will prevent the digging in action andguide the tool normally in a straight line, and

further, by making the tool out of a single piece of suitable materialand designing its contour to effect other objects mentioned.

Tools of this character generally come in sets, the various tools of aset being adapted for different degrees of coarseness or fineness ofwork. The tool herein illustrated in detail is one of such a set, and isparticularly intended for the cutting into the material of relativelynarrow grooves of substantially uniform width and depth, and the toolwill normally tend to out in a straight line. Other tools of a set havealso been suggested in the disclosure, these being adapted for i coarserwork and for work of a different character, but such modifications areeffected without associated with the cutting 1933, Serial No. 651,321

involving a departure from the broad principles of my invention.

For the attainment of these objects and other objects to be hereinafterpointed out, I have illustrated by way of example, several embodiments 5of my invention in wherein:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the use of one form of my tool;

the accompanying drawing,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the 10 tool shown in Figurel, and illustrates its action on a piece of material;

Figure 3 is a top planview of the form of my invention shown in Figure1;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the shank and the handle of toolsconstructed according to my invention: a

Figure 6 is a, view on line 6-6 of Figure 41001:- ing in the directionof the arrows; V Figure 7 is a sectional view on line 1-1 of ure4Iooking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the bottom of a tool as shown inFigure 1;

. I 2 Figment of my invention;

Figure 10 is an end view of the same;

Figure 11 is a side elevation of still another form of my invention; and

Figure 12 is an end view thereof.

Before proceeding to describe my invention in detail, I will premisethat it consists in general of a piece of material of suitable hardnessto be adapted for cutting purposes, and also possessing the property ofresiliency for a purpose that will appear, and I have found steel verysuitable for this purpose.

This material in thin sheets is readily workable with the aid ofsuitable heat treatment, and lends itself to the manufacture of suchtools as herein described with a relatively low cost of production.

Adjacent the cutting portion of the tool this material is formed into achannel of approximately V or U form in transverse cross section, andcutting and guiding surfaces are formed at the extremity of the channelby grinding away and beveling a portion of the-same at such an angle tothe tool as to form a cutting edge, which the base of the channel islocated to the rear of the edge at the sides of the channel, so that, asthe tool is used, the edge at the base of the channel is the last toengage the material. The result is that the forward portions of thecutting edge I ground away on they guide the tool upward and away fromthe work when the tool is being pushed forward, instead of downward andinto the work, if the cutting edge is inclined rearwardly to asufficient extent.

Referring now to'the drawing, and particularly to Figures 2, 3, 4, 6,and 8, it will be observed that the tool portion proper comprises of theembodiment shown therein two lateral walls l and I2 which are angularlyrelated so as to form a channel of V shape in transverse cross section.The end portions of these sections are their outer sides to form abeveled surface as indicated at M and IS in Figure 8, and this grindingaway results in an inwardly directed V shaped cutting edge having thevertex of the V at is.

By referring to Figure 2, itwill be observed that in use, this form oftool is held at an angle the entry of the tool to the work so that thecutting edge of the tool is directed upwardly and forwardly in relationto the plane in which the tool moves. As a result, the portions 20 and22 of the cutting edge will cut into the material, raising the chip 52from the material 50, while the portions of the edge in advance thereof,namely 26 and 26, will serve as guides and will prevent digging inbecause these edges are in general directed slightly upwardly toward thefront portion of the tool, and further,

into the material is opposed by the wedge action of surfaces M and itwhich are angularly related so as to oppose entry of the tool into thematerial as may be seen from Figures 6 and 8. The edges 2d and 26 itwill be observed are extended into a curve 21 merging with the top edgesof the sections in and I2 so as to form an easy approach to the cuttingedges 24 and 26.

i It is also to be observed that because of the rearward location of thecutting edges 20 and 22, they are protected from injury by the materialextending forwardly therefrom, and it is therefore possible to give avery sharp cutting angle to these edges. An indication of this is givenin Figure 2 where the cutting edge at I8 is shown as very sharp. Suchsharp cutting edges would be impractical in any construction where thecutting edges are exposed. It will further be observed that because ofthe inclination of the cutting edges, the latter move at an angle to thematerial, so that a smooth sliding cut is effected instead of thecutting edge being squarely presented to the material.

Portions Ill and I2 are extended rearwardly to form the body portion ofthe tool and merge into a shank portion 32 in the form of a conicalsleeve split at 33. The sleeve 32 may be made'resilient in order toproperly grip a handle inserted therewithin.

It will be noted that as illustrated my improved tool is made of asingle piece of material, and so formed and contoured that'it may bemade by a simple stamping operation. As previously mentioned, springsteel is a highly desirable material.

A handle 34 of convenient shape may be prov-ided as a holder for thetool when in use, and this handle is formed with a cylindrical recess 36surrounding a cylindrical portion 38 and is also provided with a ferrule40, as customary for purposes of strength. On inserting the sleeve 32,the portion 38 will cause it to expand, and, if inserted to a sufficientdepth, it will be held in place between the inner and outer walls of therecess 36 due to its expansion therewithin resulting in contact of theend of the sleeve with the outer walls of the recess 36, and the contactof the end of portion 38 with the inner wall of the sleeve.

Two other forms of my invention are shown in Figures 9 and 10 and inFigures 11 and 12, respectively, the former showing a gouge form of toolof U-shaped section, having a body 42 and a bevel M, and the latter agouge of V cross section, having a body 46 and beveled surfaces 48meeting at 49.

For the purpose of making clear the applicationof my invention to thetools shown in Figs. 9 and 10, I have indicated at a in Fig. 9 a planepassed transversely through the tool at the lowermost point of itscutting edge, and a similar plane has been indicated at b in Fig. 11.The -aforesaid lowermost point is also normally the lowermost point ofthe tool when it is in use on a horizontal surface, and it is at onceapparent that it is also the rearmost point of the cutting edge of thetool when it is in action. It further appears that all points of thecutting edge, except said lowermost point, are positioned in advance ofthe plane a in Fig. 9, or of the plane I) in Fig. 11.

While I have herein disclosed several illustrative embodiments of myinvention, it will be understood that the same may be embodied in manyother forms, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art, and that Ido not limit myself in respect thereto other than as defined in thelanguage of the claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

. 1. In an article of manufacture for the purpose set forth, angularlydisposed sections, forming together a channel substantially of Vcrosssection having its walls downwardly converging in relation to thework when the tool is in use, the outer surfaces of the forward endportions of said sections being beveled so as to form sharp edgesthereon disposed so as to form a rearwardly directed V-shaped opening atthe forward end of said channel, and the vertex of said V beingpositioned at the lowermost portion of said the portions of the edgesadjacent the vertex of said V-shaped opening will cut into and raise aportion of said material, while the portions of the edges farther inadvance of said vertex, will act as guiding surfaces to guide the toolforward and prevent its digging into the materialby the action of saidbeveled surfaces, which develop an upward pressure component tending tomake them travel away from the material, and whereby the combined actionof said surfaces will facilitate the smooth and uninterrupted formationof shavings ofsubstantially uniform depth.

2. A material excising engraving tool for linoleum printing plates orthe like, having two angularly disposed sections, upwardly diverging inrelation to the work, and forming together an upwardly opening channelof V cross-section and of varying width, said sections tending toconverge at their forward free end portions and the sections being alsoangularly related and for?v wardly and upwardly diverging so as tooppose 75 entry into the material being worked on, said V beingpositioned substantially in the cutting plane but directed slightlyupwardly toward its open end and so that the vertex of said V' ispositioned at the lowermost point of said tool, whereby when said toolis brought into contact at the proper angle with a piece of fiatmaterial to be engraved, and pushed forward, the portions of the edgesadjacent the vertex of said V-shaped opening will cut into and raise aportion of said material, while the portions of the edges farther inadvance of said cutting edges, will act as guiding surfaces to guide thetool forward and normally in a straight line, and by the action of saidbeveled surfaces prevent its digging into the material, and the combinedaction of said edges and surfaces will facilitate the smooth anduninterrupted formation of shavings of substantially uniform depth.

3. An excising tool for excising filament-like chips from materialhaving a substantially flat surface, the body of said tool being ofchanneled conformation with upwardly diverging walls and presenting tosuch surface, when operating thereon, a wedge-like conformation with thenarrow end of said wedge lowermost and contacting with the surface ofthe material, the forward end of said toolbeing beveled off externallyso as to form a cutting edge tapering from the forward open portion ofsaid channel rearwardly and downwardly to the closed bottom portionthereof, said bottom portion being-also the lowermost portion of saidtool, whereby the advance portions of said cutting edge serve to guidethe tool as well as to cut, and whereby all of the contacting surfacesand edges of the tool will resist entry of said tool into the materialthereby preventing digging in of the tool, and whereby the chips will beguided upwardly by the upwardly diverging inner walls of the said bodyportion.

4. An excising tool for engraving linoleum or the like, having a bodyportion of channeled conformation, convex in relation to the work to beoperated upon, and having a pair of cutting and guiding edges formed atthe forward portion thereof, said cutting and guiding edges runningdownwardly and rearwardly in relation to the direction of motion of thetool when in use, and

converging to a point at the lowermost point of said channel and allportions of said edges except said lowermost point being positioned inadvance of a plane passing through said lowermost point and cutting saidtool transversely.

WALTER GRUMBACHER.

